Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37753619›Full record

ArticleJournal of primary care & community health

Impact of eConsults on Clinical Care in Primary Care: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Primary Care Provider Behavior.

Lauren Bifulco, Olivia Guidotti, Idiana Velez, Lynsey Grzejszczak, Tracy Angelocci, Lola Okunade, Daren Anderson

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of primary care & community health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Lauren BifulcoWeitzman Institute, Middletown, CT, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5759-874X
Olivia GuidottiWeitzman Institute, Middletown, CT, USA.
Idiana VelezWeitzman Institute, Middletown, CT, USA.
Lynsey GrzejszczakWeitzman Institute, Middletown, CT, USA.
Tracy AngelocciLone Star Circle of Care, Georgetown, TX, USA.
Lola OkunadeLone Star Circle of Care, Georgetown, TX, USA.
Daren AndersonWeitzman Institute, Middletown, CT, USA.
Lone Star College · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

INTRODUCTION/

objectivesAsynchronous electronic consultations (eConsults) support primary care providers (PCPs) by providing rapid specialist feedback and improve medically underserved patients' access to care.

methodsThis cross-sectional study assessed all eConsults requested over a one-year period at a multi-site federally qualified health center in Texas. We analyzed eConsult content and quality and conducted chart reviews for a randomly selected subsample (n = 100) to determine whether PCPs implemented specialists' recommendations within 90 days. Semi-structured interviews with PCPs assessed their ability and willingness to follow recommendations.

resultsThere were 367 eConsults submitted by 25 PCPs across 15 adult medical and surgical specialties. Of the 100 charts reviewed n = 77 (77.0%) contained documentation indicating that the PCP had followed at least 1 of the specialist's recommendations within 90 days. In two-thirds of the cases (n = 66, 66%) the reviewing specialist indicated that a face-to-face referral was not needed. PCPs were most likely to follow recommendations for new medications and least likely to document that they had obtained additional patient history. PCPs noted that they were sometimes unable to follow recommendations when patients could not afford or access treatment or did not return for follow up care, or when they felt that the specialist did not address their specific question.

conclusionseConsults delivered to medically underserved patients in primary care help PCPs provide timely care for their patients. PCPs utilized a broad range of eConsult specialties and generally implemented eConsult specialists' recommendations within 90 days.

Indexed as

Primary Health CareReferral and ConsultationAdultCross-Sectional StudiesHealth FacilitiesHealth Services AccessibilityHumansSpecializationaccess to careeConsultshealth inequitieshealth services accessibilitymedically underservedprimary careprovider perspectivesreferral and consultationunderserved communitiesuninsured

Identifiers

PMID37753619
PMCPMC10524039
OpenAlexW4387077734

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.